


Pynch Week 2017

by ParanoidGarbage



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: M/M, Pynch Week, Pynch Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-08 16:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11650197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParanoidGarbage/pseuds/ParanoidGarbage
Summary: A collection of fics based off of Pynch Week prompts! Each chapter represents a prompt from the week and will (hopefully) form a coherent story!EDIT: I did not follow through with the week last year, so unfortunately, the story ends as-is! I may revisit it later, but I don't see myself continuing it anytime soon.





	1. Something New

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1: Something Old, Something New
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Also available on my writing blog, paranoidteenagegarbage.tumblr.com!

Adam would never get over the strangeness of being alone in Ronan’s childhood home. The two had been gradually moving in and had spent long hours clearing out various knick-knacks and treasures from the main rooms of the house, which was as interesting as it was tiring. Things had been awkward at first, but Adam was gradually becoming more comfortable--as long as Ronan was present. Now, he faced the daunting task of clearing out Ronan’s childhood room and making it livable for the both of them all on his own. Ronan had decided to keep his parents’ bedroom as it had been left, which meant that Ronan and Adam would take up residence in the old room with sky blue walls. Ronan wasn’t far, of course, electing to work on converting the overgrown fields back into usable land instead of reminiscing with Adam over childhood belongings. Adam knew that it was difficult for Ronan to face all the remnants of life with his family so he was initially happy to accept the task, eager to make this process easier for Ronan, but found himself feeling stranded once the time to work finally came. He was standing in the doorway to Ronan’s room with a large black trash bag in hand, wondering exactly how he was supposed to begin sifting through Ronan’s memories and decide which ones were to be trashed and which ones were precious enough to keep. 

He took a deep breath and marched resolutely forward, immediately stepping on a toy car. He recoiled and looked down to find the same car that he had been examining the very day of his and Ronan’s first kiss. When Adam thought about it, much of their adolescence had developed around cars. He worked on cars to put himself through high school, the gang traveled together in the Pig, and Ronan’s obsession with misusing the BMW led to a lot of bruises and scrapes. In fact, one of the moments that really solidified Adam’s love for Ronan was when he had so lovingly patched Adam back up after a particularly disastrous round of dragging each other on skateboards behind the BMW; Adam had skinned his hands and knees pretty severely, and Ronan had been ready with peroxide and bandages. What Adam had fallen in love with was the gentle way that Ronan handled his wounds, how he carefully cleaned the dirt from Adam’s knees and then pressed a kiss to each one after they had been bandaged. ‘To help them heal,’ Ronan had explained, and Adam guessed that he had been imitating his mother. Adam smiled and set the toy on top of the bedspread, officially establishing a “keep” pile. 

He began sorting through the old items, setting aside the occasional book or dream item for safekeeping. He hesitated on the various instruments--would Ronan ever want to take up these hobbies again? Adam honestly had no idea. He once considered himself unknowable, but Ronan was just as much a mystery as anyone could be. Sometimes he retreated within himself and spiraled into self-destruction, but other times he flourished and wanted to share his magical world with Adam. Just that week, Ronan had been throwing away dream items en masse because he couldn’t bear the reminders of his father, but the next day was taking the time to show Adam how each and every one worked. In the end, he decided that the broken instruments were beyond reasonable repair and could be purchased again if the need arose, and those that were still in good shape could be stashed in a barn somewhere. 

A few hours and no less than five trash bags later, Adam was ready to begin clearing out the old furniture to make room for a larger bed. He broke down the now-empty shelves and set them in neat piles of whitewashed wood in the corner of the room to be dealt with later. It wasn’t until after he had pulled the mattress off of Ronan’s bed and leaned it against the wall that Adam spotted the small cardboard box filled with shining silver rings. Adam pulled the box out from under Ronan’s bed and sifted through them in wonder, scooping up handfuls and letting them slip through his fingers, glimmering emeralds and rubies and diamonds catching the light as they fell. The rings seemed to vibrate with the magical energy that all dream things were made of. 

They were wedding rings, he realized with a start. Adam nearly dropped the box at this revelation and put a hand on the wall to keep himself steady.  _ Ronan dreamt up a boxful of wedding rings. Ronan dreamt about wedding rings often enough to fill a box. They were in his hands so often that he brought them into reality.  _ What was Ronan doing? They had only just decided to move in together, and Ronan had been thinking of marriage all this time. Adam felt dizzy. He needed to speak to Ronan immediately. 

Clutching the box with both hands, Adam stumbled down the stairs and walked through the door and across the lawn in a trance to the nearest barn. The doors were open and Ronan was throwing items out into a messy pile, letting chairs break and vases shatter as he did so. 

“Parrish,” Ronan smiled at seeing Adam approaching, “Looking for more work to do already?” 

Adam shook his head and held out the box to Ronan. “What are these?” 

Ronan’s smile dropped and he swallowed hard, “I forgot that was in there. Just throw them away, don’t worry about it.”

“No,” Adam was determined to get an answer. He shook the box for emphasis, “What are these?”

“What do they look like?”

“Wedding rings.”

“Well,” Ronan shrugged, “You’re wrong. They’re engagement rings.”

“Are they for me?” Adam was struggling to breathe. Was this really happening?

“No.” Ronan pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket and offered it to Adam, “This one is for you. Those are hideous, I’d never propose with them.” 


	2. "What are you doing here?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for being late, life got in my way. This chapter is for Day 3 of Pynch Week, prompt "What are you doing here?"

“You’re proposing to me? Right now.” Adam was bewildered. This isn’t at all how he pictured it, in the middle of a field with both of them covered in dirt and sweat and dust. Not that Adam had really taken the time to picture being proposed to; he simply had too much else to think about, but whenever the thought did cross his mind, he had expected this to go down in a more romantic way. 

“Right now. Why not?” Ronan quirked a brow, defiant as always, but Adam noticed his outstretched hand shaking. 

“Oh, Ronan,” Adam began with a quiet sigh, scrubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. Ronan shrunk away and tucked the ring box back into his pocket.

“That’s fine,” Ronan shrugged, “You don’t have to say yes. I’d still like it if you lived here with me, though.”

“I’m just thinking about the practicality of it.” Adam hugged himself and looked off to the quickly setting sun, then down to the dirt at his feet. He kicked at nothing, making a small divot in the fertile soil. 

“I know.”

“We’ve only been dating for a year.”

“I know.”

“Aren’t I the first person you’ve ever dated? That’s never really a good idea,” Adam was at a loss for words. He genuinely hadn’t ever thought too deeply about what they had together or where it was going, but apparently Ronan was in for the long haul. Was Adam in? Did he even want the long haul with anyone? He had no idea.

“I know!” Ronan threw his hands up and stormed back into the barn, throwing items into the messy pile with furious vigor, “I know that you don’t want to marry me, and I know it’s too soon to ask anyways, that’s why I hid the box in the first place!” 

“Ronan, please stop,” Adam cautiously ventured into the line of fire to coax a conversation out of his boyfriend, immediately putting a stop to the temper tantrum. “Can I just...have some time to think about it?”

“If the answer was yes, you would have said it already. Don’t worry about it.” 

Ronan was right, and Adam knew it. In that moment, he knew that his answer was a big resounding ‘no.’ He wasn’t ready for marriage, and he didn’t know whether the one he wanted to marry, if ever, was actually Ronan.

“I need some time to think, I’m gonna go.” Yes, Adam was going to run like the coward he was. He turned and jogged to his truck, hoisting himself in and backing out of the driveway as quickly as was safe. 

Adam drove and drove, mind swirling with thoughts of  _ marriage _ and  _ forever _ . Of course, divorce was an option, but why commit to something that you’re planning on leaving? Adam couldn’t do that to Ronan. He drove until he forgot where he was, long after the sun had set and the only light came from the stars. He pulled off to the side of the dirt road and laid his head against the steering wheel with a heavy sigh. Although he had never before imagined marriage with Ronan, now that he was imagining it, Adam realized that he was even more unable to imagine marriage with anyone else. There was no image of the perfect person that Adam wanted to end up with, and he was  _ happy _ with Ronan. 

Once the initial sense of panic had worn off, Adam was able to think more clearly. He started up the truck and made his way back to the Barns, considering his options all the while. Once he had arrived, Adam used his key to sneak inside and found Ronan sleeping in Matthew’s room. Ronan was curled up on top of the covers, surrounded by boxes of his brother’s old belongings; he must have fallen asleep while working to convert Matthew’s bedroom into the guest room. He and Adam were supposed to do that together; Ronan needed Adam’s support with the more painful aspects of moving in, and Adam hadn’t been there to give it to him. Adam cleared the boxes and items off of the bed, then climbed on and tucked himself around Ronan’s body, pressing gentle kisses to the back of Ronan’s neck. Ronan stirred, rolling around to face Adam. 

“What are you doing here?” Ronan asked sleepily, eyes sliding shut. He swallows hard, “Thought you were leaving.”

In answer, Adam kissed Ronan’s cheeks, forehead, nose; one kiss for each thing that Adam couldn’t say.  _ I came back. I’m sorry. I love you. _

Ronan matched each kiss with one of his own:  _ I’m glad. It’s okay. I love you, too.  _ Ronan reached out and Adam let his boyfriend’s arms encircle him and pull him closer.  _ Welcome home. Are you going to stay? _

  
Adam rested his head against Ronan’s chest and closed his eyes.  _ Forever. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Also available on my writing blog, paranoidteenagegarbage.tumblr.com!


End file.
